The Story of Icarus and Daedalus.
One of the earliest stories of flight is undoubtedly the epic Greek tale of Icarus and Daedalus
by the Roman poet Ovid. As with many other stories concerning the fantastic deeds of the Gods,
the ancient Roman tale is seen almost exclusively in terms of an adventurous and colorful myth.
However, a closer look at this ancient poem can reveal a good deal more to us.
In the story recounted by Ovid in his work ‘Metamorphoses’ Ovid describes Daedalus as a
being a highly skilled and talented architect who was the actual designer of the infamous ‘Cretan
Maze,’ the enormous circular underground maze that was built at the request of King Minos to
trap and imprison the legendary Minotaur.
When his labors were done and the maze was complete Daedalus became restless and longed
for his homeland again but he knew that the tyrant King Minos would block his return and that
the way by sea would surely be closed to him. So instead of sailing he decided to build himself a
flying machine. "The king may block my way by land or across the ocean, but the sky, surely, is
open, and that is how we shall go." According to Ovids epic, he then: “set his mind to sciences
never explored before, and altered the laws of nature."
Ovid tells us that eventually Daedalus constructed two flying craft, one for himself and the
other one for his son Icarus. In his account Ovid does not state whether the craft were powered in
any way or had perhaps been some kind of glider, possibly even a type of hang-glider, but it is
reasonable to assume that such a craft would have to have been powered in some way in order
Daedalus to feel confident he would be able to transverse an ocean. Ovid does however tell us
that before their departure Daedalus went to great pains to ensure his son Icarus was well
instructed on all the rudiments of flight and the capabilities of his craft and even then, kept a
watchful eye over him once they were in the air.
Ovid tells that the sight of these two flying machines also created a considerable amount of
excitement among spectators on the ground who happened to witness the event: "Some fisherman,
perhaps plying with his quivering rod, some shepherd leaning on his staff, or a peasant bent over
his plough handle caught sight of them as they flew past and stood stock still in astonishment,
believing that these creatures who could fly through the air must be gods."
The two craft headed out from Crete across the Aegean Sea. But the poem tells us that for
Icarus the wonder of flying was an incredibly exhilarating experience and he became so exited by
the thrill of it that he eventually flew out of earshot of his father and soon forgot all about his
instructions. Icarus soared ever further skywards until the wax his father had used to bind the
wings of his craft together began to melt from the heat of the sun. His craft soon fell to pieces and
he fell and was "swallowed up in the deep blue waters, which are now called after him".
Today the legend of Icarus and Daedalus is viewed entirely as an interesting poetic myth. Yet it
could easily be factual testimony of an event that may have really occurred in the history of early
aviation. This is hinted at because, by way of comparison, it is quite an unusual story in that it is
not a magical exploit like the many other ancient myths. It is in fact, quite an ‘earthly’ tale
containing within the narrative some very conceivable and quite plausible human
accomplishments. There is also the fact that Daedalus is described as a master architect who was
already known to have constructed great things such as the maze. This also makes it entirely
plausible that such a man may well have conceived of a way to fashion some type of aircraft
considering that today, practically anyone with two brain cells working in unison can assemble a
hang-glider from a car boot. Plus there is the fact that Daedalus was so concerned for the safety of
his son and realized there were limitations to the capabilities of the craft and seemed to be very
aware of its shortcomings. This is very different to the exploits described in other mythological
tales. All of these points lend credence to the ancient tale and its possible authenticity as a factual
account of early aviation.